MG Fixes during 2003

  • 8 Dec 2003 (64455):
    Pulled distributer and all plug wires, took inside for some testing where it wasn’t cold. Discovered wire from coil to distributor cap was bad, replaced with a spare. Replaced plugs, reset point gap, set rough timing, car fired on first try. Adjusted timing. Points are good, but the lever that opens them by running along the distributor cam is worn, ordered replacement.
  • 6 Dec 2003 (64455):
    Car stopped running again when I tried to drive 1 December. Waited for weekend to work in daylight. Fixed timing, fired well. Stopped working again in the evening when I replaced the plugs. Since I don’t want to ruin new plugs, reinstalled old plugs, noted weak spark.
  • 29 Nov 2003 (64093):
    Once the rain stopped falling (I hate Western WA weather), discovered that my distributor point gap was way off. Re-adjusted, car started. I had to do this because on the previous day, the car decided it would not start, and would instead prefer to sit in the pouring rain. No Post-Thanksgiving sale shopping for me. I picked up a spare set of points just so I have them.
  • 18 Nov 2003 (63648):
    Oil Change. 20W-50 is too thick for this time of year. 600 miles on a change. Fun.
  • 17 Nov 2003 (63636):
    Replaced brake shoes, frozen drum adjustment mechanism, oil seals, and drum brake springs.
  • 8 Nov 2003 (63598):
    Replaced worn snow tyres with new ones. I love those Artic Alpins.
  • 2 Nov 2003 (63540):
    On driving back (in the snow), my brakes didn’t feel right. They were still so/ad, but required a bit more pressure to stop. On looking under the car, the right rear brake drum looks to be leaking fluid. Will be ordering parts soon.
  • 1 Nov 2003 (63224):
    Switched to snow tyres. The rear tyres are a bit bald, so I will have to replace them soon. However, since I am driving to Ellensburg this weekend, worn snow tyres are still better than my Yokohamas.
  • 18 Oct 2003 (63121):
    Played with some foam to see if building a shroud between the (pusher) fan and the radiator would improve airflow through the radiator (it seems that most of the air acts like it is hitting a wall when it hits the core). All I managed to do is create a U in the flow, where more air was going backward from the fan than I could feel through the core. So, I gave up and reinstalled the engine fan. I will likely remove the electric fan in the future, and replace it with an extremely thin heat-resistant fan I can use as a puller.
  • 12 Sep 2003 (63016):
    In the never-ending quest to get my cooling system to cool effectively, I drained and flushed the cooling system (back flush with water, plus a chemical flush). System now filled with 50% Prestone, 50% Distilled Water.
  • 11 Sep 2003 (63016):
    Oil Change, replaced filter. Trying out Castrol High Mileage to see if it burns less oil at speed (the only time I have a problem).
  • 7 Sep 2003 (62985):
    Replenished coolant, I lost about a liter yesterday when the car got extremely hot while coming up the hill from the Snake River. When I pulled over to let it cool, the block and top tank of the radiator were 230-240 degrees.
  • 29 Aug 2003 (62184 - 62295):
    Replaced fuel filter since I apparently reinstalled the old one backwards. Disassembled and cleaned front carburettor to fix a stuck float needle. On the road. Twice.
  • 2 Aug 2003 (61913):
    Adjusted valve clearance.
  • 27 Jul 2003 (61888):
    980 miles in 3 days. Not a bad trip except it was in the upper 90’s and lower 100’s. The car was not happy and ran very very hot.
  • 15 Jul 2003 (60812):
    Replaced windscreen wipers.
  • 2 Jul 2003 (60616):
    Connected driveshaft, reinstalled radiator, connected electrics, replenished fluids (changed oil in gearbox and engine), replenished and bled Clutch. Drove. Damn I missed that last bit.
  • 1 Jul 2003 (60616):
    Replaced gearbox input shaft shims, throwout bearing (the only part that was really failing), clutch lever boot, flexible hydraulic line, motor mounts, transmission mounts, engine stay buffers. Reinstalled engine. Connected Exhaust, Clutch hydraulic line before it was midnight and I went home for the night.
  • 29 Jun 2003 (60616):
    Replaced rear main seal, clutch pressure plate and disk. Discovered the shims needed to prevent problems with the gearbox input shaft were in bad shape and need replacement.
  • 28 Jun 2003 (60616):
    Pulled engine to replace clutch that has been slowly failing for the past few months. After removing the engine and all the pleasent things that go with it, I was too tired to put it back together. I think I will take a BFH to it tonight (carefully of course).
  • 27 Jun 2003 (60602):
    Replaced boot lamp switch that has been broken for a bit over a year.
  • 24 May 2003 (60287):
    I finally got tired of bending the license plate brackets that attach to my car’s rubber bumbers. Removed and used a vice to fix them properly.
  • 10 May 2003 (60009):
    Installed Washington State University Alumni license plate frame. Doesn’t change the performance or reliability one bit, but it is something special for the car just the same.
  • 20 April 2003 (59683):
    Changed oil (Castrol GTX 20-50), replaced filter (Wix 51068). Couldn’t recall mileage of previous change, but it was between 2K and 4K miles.
  • 30 March 2003 (59199):
    Replaced timing chain, tensioner with a double row chain, the single row chain on the car was worn to the point the tensioner could not compensate; causing lots of noise and interfering with timing. To change the timing chain, I had to remove the radiator, and discovered the coolant was yellow (it should have been green), so replaced the coolant too.
  • 29 March 2003 (59179):
    Replaced rear slave cylinders; the right side failed. Also replaced brake shoes, flushed out old brake fluid and replaced with Castrol LMA.
  • 19 March 2003 (58545):
    Took the car back to the shop. This time, the car was running on three cylinders, at the beginning of what was supposed to be a 350 mile trip back to Pullman. Completely worked through both carbs, replacing bad parts and planing surfaces as we go. Replaced plugs. Still the same problem. Since we had just worked through this car yesterday, and had looked at the cap then, none of us suspected the cap (it looked like new). Once darkness began to fall with no sign of the problem, I saw sparks on the outside of the cap. It would appear that a carbon trail developed from the port for plug 1 to the dizzy cap clip that was effectively grounding out the cylinder. At least the vacuum leaks are solved now too.
  • 18 March 2003 (58435):
    Took the car to Brooklands to diagnose a high idle problem. Discovered that I have numerous vacuum leaks, a bad engine mount (unrelated), a worn out timing chain, and my advance was way off. Fixed the advanced, dished out money. Parts acquired for further work.
  • 16 March 2003 (58280):
    Discovered and fixed a loose bolt that was causing a vacuum leak. Also installed the door glass rubber that came with the car from the previous owner.
  • 13 March 2003 (57734):
    Reinstalled speedometer. Good thing too, I have a trip planned on the 15th.
  • 9 March 2003:
    Discovered the speedo problem was just a disconnected cable at the back of the gauge. Not sure how it happened, and I still need to resecure the gauge to the dash, but at least it is something simple to fix.
  • 5 March 2003:
    Ugh. Drove to Moscow, and on the way back, my speedometer died, but not completely. Since I have replaced the cable before, I fear this could be much worse this time, I only hope the cable or a connection is at fault, I really don’t look forward to fixing a speedometer or gearbox.
  • 1 March 2003:
    Despite the fact that it snowed for the first time in weeks (months?), I switched to my new summer tyres. It was time, and I will just have to be careful for the next week or so. As the days are now generally peaking at 40F, the time for snow is rapidly diminishing.
  • 23 February 2003:
    Gave Penny a much needed washing. My red car is now red again. On the down side, it was 30 degrees when I washed her, so now the entire car is covered in a thin film of ice.
  • 16 February 2003:
    Discovered that the intake manifold studs for the rear carb were loose and missing (one of each). Spent the morning replacing the missing stud and reattaching exhaust and intake to the head. From the looks of the old gasket, I was suffering an exhaust leak from the rear port as well.
  • 1 February 2003:
    Mounted new Yokohama AVS ES100 tyres to my minators. Spring is coming, and life will be good. Even better, the tires look good, and don’t have that rice-boy appeal I was fearing when I ordered them.